


Mecha-kushi Dan

by EvilPlanCaptain



Category: Kagerou Project
Genre: Blood, F/M, Mecha Au, Mentions of Death, Shinaya Week 2020, The other characters are only really there because Shintaro can't do things, War, What is slow dancing, a bit of violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:15:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26941990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvilPlanCaptain/pseuds/EvilPlanCaptain
Summary: Ace Mecha Pilot Ayano is fighting to save her family and loved ones, also Shintaro is there. A war-filled love story told from the perspective of her mech, I-S Model 7, designation 'Yaki'.(cw: on-screen blood, a bit of on-screen violence, and mentions of death)
Relationships: Kisaragi Shintaro/Tateyama Ayano
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	Mecha-kushi Dan

***INITIALISING SYSTEMS***

***ERROR, SEVERE DAMAGE DETECTED***

***OPERATIONAL MOVEMENT SYSTEMS: NIL***

***RETRIEVING MISSION RECORDS… FAILED***

***BLACK BOX RECORDS INCOMPLETE***

***REBOOTING SENSORS***

***FRIENDLY IFF SIGNAL DETECTED***

***EXTERNAL CAMERAS OPERATIONAL***

***AUDIO DETECTED. BLACK BOX RECORDING, RESTARTING…***

“I keep telling her to be careful, and this is what she does?!? How the hell am I supposed to fix this?!?”

The giant mech’s blinking red cameras swiveled towards the source of the noise. A scowling young man in a bright red jumpsuit, white stripes running down his sleeves. He was just barely up to its knee, or where its knee would’ve been, if the bottom half of the mech wasn’t melted beyond recognition. The mech’s torso was covered in deep gashes and burn marks, firing off showers off sparks whenever the mech tried to move its head.

“And you! What were you doing! I know I built you better than this!”

“QUERY NOT RECOGNISED,” the mech blared over its speakers.

“... haaaah. Calm down, Shintaro, it’s no use getting angry at it… not until you finish that AI system at least.”

“DAMAGE DETECTED, REQUESTING IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE”

“Geez, how did you figure that one out? C’mon, let’s get to work.” 

The man clambered up a ladder and into the pilot seat. It was slightly too small for him, though he managed the controls with ease.

“Alright, let’s see the diagnostics… Seriously? She survived this? Is she actually an android or something?”

“REGISTERED PILOT HAS CONFIRMED VITAL SIGNS CONSISTENT WITH-”

“Aaah, I wasn’t asking seriously! I know she’s human, that’s why this is so terrifying...”

The man stared at the blinking screens in front of him; from the structural integrity to the reserve supplies, all the consoles were flashing red alerts. The mech could barely lift a finger, let alone fight waves of enemy forces.

“Winning an orbital fight with a pile of scrap metal, as expected of the ace, huh? And here I was, bragging about how much safer this stupid new plating would be... Let me guess, she removed it as soon as she got into a fight, didn’t she?”

“MODIFIED HULL PLATING WITHSTOOD AN AVERAGE ADDITIONAL 0.6 ROUNDS OF ANTI-MATERIEL FIRE BEFORE MANUAL EJECTION, COMPARED TO PREVIOUS ITERATIONS. FURTHER ANALYSIS UNAVAILABLE DUE TO SUSTAINED DAMAGE.”

“Haaaaaah…” The man breathed a deep sigh, slumping his head, “You could sugar coat things a little, you know?”

“ORDERS ACKNOWLEDGED.”

“It’s not an order, but whatever. Y’know, it’s gonna be weird to call you ‘you’ all the time, do you want like, a name or something?”

“QUERY NOT RECOGNISED.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll just do whatever. These scorch marks aren’t gonna come out any time soon, so how about I call you ‘Yaki’?”

“DESIGNATION ACKNOWLEDGED. I-S MODEL 7, DESIGNATION ‘YAKI’, REPORTING FOR DUTY. I AM AWAITING ORDERS, MECHANIC KISARAGI.”

“Uh, yeah, it’s nice to meet you too. Just... keep looking out for Ayano, ok?”

“ACKNOWLEDGED.”

**********************

***BEGIN SIMULATION***

***PRELIMINARY CHECKS: COMPLETE***

***LONG RANGE SENSORS: ONLINE***

***HOSTILES CONFIRMED***

***INITIATING COMB- WAIT***

***LOCATION OF SCARF: UNKNOWN***

***MISSION CRITICAL INVENTORY UNAVAILABLE***

***ABANDON SIMULATION***

“MECHANIC KISARAGI, WHERE IS MY SCARF?”

Yaki was sitting cross-legged in the hangar, using a metal hand to touch the circuitry around its neck. Its limbs had been repaired, though they were missing the bulky plating that it used to have. The remaining light frame was a hydraulic stick-figure in comparison, still covered in scorch marks.

“You don’t need a scarf, Yaki! You’re a giant space robot!” The young man was sitting in front of Yaki, hunched over a laptop.

“NEGATIVE. PILOT FLIGHT RECORDS INDICATE THAT A SCARF IS A NECESSITY, MECHANIC KISARAGI. EMULATION IS IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT ONE”

“You just need to focus on combat, it’s not that hard! Besides, what would you even do with one, Yaki?!?”

“Yaki? Is that what you’re calling my mech now?” The pilot called out to the young man from behind him, leaning over his head to see what was on his screen. She was wearing her usual scarf and hairpins, but she had a non-regulation dress instead of her combat gear.

“A-Ayano?!?” The young man looked up to meet her eyes, a strained grin on his face, “How long have you been here, we don’t have any missions planned…”

“Well, ‘Mechanic Kisaragi’, that’s what I’d like to ask! We don’t have any missions planned, but my mechanic has been spending all his time here.” The pilot bent down to press her lips against the man’s forehead. “What’s kept you?”

“Oh crap, it’s already this late! Sorry, I really didn’t mean to bail on you, I just got caught up on this new project.”

“It’s alright, it seems really interesting! Why don’t you tell me about it?” She offered her hand to the sitting Mechanic Kisaragi. As he went to take it, she pulled him up into an embrace.

“A-Ayano?!?”

“It’s fine, we can talk like this.” She grabbed his hand and placed a hand on his hip, stepping back and forth in a rhythmical motion.

“R-right… Well, um, since the new armour isn’t working out, I figured- woah!” My Pilot sent Mechanic Kisaragi into a twirl. “I uh, figured I should focus on maneuvering rather than defence.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet! And, uhm, I’m sorry about always removing the armour you make for me, it’s just a little hard to move in.” They pulled apart for a second, joined only by their hands, before coming back together.

“It’s okay, who am I to disagree with the ace’s opinion?”

“You know, I’d prefer it if you said ‘my girlfriend’s opinion’ there, mechanic.”

“A-Are you teasing me?”

“Sorry,” she gave an apologetic smile, “Maybe Shuuya’s bad habits are rubbing off on me. So, what are you doing instead?”

“It’s an AI system, to replicate your fighting style. It might not help you, but I figured, maybe if everyone else was as good as you, you- aaah!” My Pilot dropped him into a low bow, their faces inches apart. “You wouldn’t have to fight anymore.”

“Oh, Shintaro…” She held him in the bow, breaking from the rhythm. “I’m touched, but you know I have to protect everyone…”

“I know, I know, it’s just… Does it always have to be you? Just cuz you’re the best, they always send you on the most dangerous missions. Why don’t they let the others pick up the slack for once?”

“...” She stared into his eyes for a while, before pulling him into a kiss. “Thank you, I can’t wait to see you finish it.”

“R-Right.” My Pilot finally pulled him up, and they simply stood hand in hand. “Its name is Yaki, by the way. I-S Model 7, Yaki.”

“I see. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Yaki!”

“IT IS A PLEASURE TO MAKE YOUR ACQUAINTANCE, PILOT.”

***********

***ALERT***

***PILOT VITALS CRITICAL***

***ALERT***

***PILOT VITALS CRITICAL***

***ALERT***

***MECHANIC KISARAGI, PLEASE***

***WE NEED HELP***

An unnamed mech dragged me through the airlock and into my hangar. They were badly damaged, even more so than me, but at least their pilot was conscious. With the return of atmosphere, hurried shouts filled the air.

“Seto, grab the medical supplies! Kisaragi, get that hatch open!” The usually-quiet vice-commander yelled orders from the hangar doors.

“I know already!”, Mechanic Kisaragi ran over, carrying a duffel bag of tools. “Hold on, Ayano…”

He pulled out what looked like a pair of large, pneumatic garden shears, and started cutting away my collapsed cockpit hatch. My entire torso had caved in like a bowl, and the usual escape mechanisms had been completely destroyed.

“MECHANIC KISARAGI, IT HURTS.”

“...! Just hold on, we’ve gotta get Ayano out first!”

“ACKNOWLEDGED.”

Mechanic Kisaragi continued cutting away, and after what felt like an eternity, he finally pulled open the hatch. After seeing the insides, the blood drained from his face.

“Ayano! Hey, Ayano! Can you hear me?”

“... Hi, Shintaro”

I couldn’t see her face, but her vital signs told me what kind of state she was in. Mechanic Kisaragi’s looked like he wanted to cry.

“Don’t… worry. I’ll be fine,” through laboured breaths she squeezed out the words.

“But!...”

“It’s … alright, promise.” She reached out a hand to brush his cheek, leaving a smear of blood on his face.

“Shintaro, if you’re all done then we need to hurry!” the frog medic laid a hand on Mechanic Kisaragi’s shoulder and pulled him away. He looked calm, but his heart was pounding.

“Sis, it’s gonna be ok. Tsubomi, help me carry her to medbay!”

“On it.”

The two of them carefully picked up their sister, and placed her onto a stretcher. I caught a glimpse as they carried her away; I had never seen my pilot so weak. I almost wish I had never recorded that information. Mechanic Kisaragi just stared in silence, even after they exited the hangar doors.

After they left, the unnamed mech’s pilot finally made their way down to us. One of their arms was limp, likely broken; but they used their other one to punch Mechanic Kisaragi square in the jaw.

“What was that for?”, Mechanic Kisaragi spat out the words, but didn’t turn to face the unnamed mech’s pilot

“... why didn’t you help her?”

“You  _ know _ I can’t fly, Kano. What the fuck do you expect me to do?”

“ _ Something _ , Kisaragi! You spend all your time in here, why did her mech break so easily?!?”

“UNNAMED MECH’S PILOT, YOUR ANGER IS MISPLACED. MY PILOT WAS INJURED WHILE COVERING FOR YOU.”

“...!”, the unnamed mech’s pilot looked up at my camera with tears in his eyes, “You made her mech talk?”

“... Yaki. It’s name is Yaki.”

“Well look at you, making friends. Or wait, sorry, if it’s gonna be replacing sis, maybe friends isn’t the right word?”

“Kano.”

“Tell me, are you gonna make my replacement when I die? You could have a whole hangar full of your dead comrades!”

“Kano, stop.”

“You can’t order me around like your robot pals, Shintaro! Unlike them I’m a real fucking person!”

“I know she’s not real! She- it’s just a tool! It’s going to help Ayano, I promise. Just… don’t tell everyone else.”

“Trust me, I don’t care enough about your stupid robot to go tell people. Now if you don’t mind I’m gonna go check on my sister. You know, the one bleeding out right now.” The unnamed mech’s rude pilot brushed past Mechanic Kisaragi without waiting for a response. 

“C’mon, Yaki, let’s get you fixed up.”

“ACKNOWLEDGED.”

Mechanic Kisaragi didn’t meet my eyes as he picked up his tools and got to work.

******************

***WE’VE FINISHED REFUELLING, AND WE’RE READY FOR TAKE-OFF***

***NOW WE JUST NEED TO WAIT FOR THE OTHERS***

***REQUESTING PILOT CONFIRMATION***

***...***

***REQUESTING PILOT CONFIRMATION?***

***...***

***...***

“PILOT, IS EVERYTHING OK?”

“Hmm? Oh, Yaki! Yes, I’m fine, don’t worry about me!”

“IS THAT SO… “

“What were you saying? We’re ready for take-off?”

“YES.”

“Got it, thank you.”

My pilot never spaces out before missions, something must be wrong. The pre-flight checks were normal, is there something missing?

“PILOT, DO YOU HAVE YOUR SCARF? YOU SHOULD TELL ME IF WE ARE MISSING EQUIPMENT.”

“I’ve got it right here,” she said with a small chuckle, “I’d never leave without it.”

Hmm…

“OH! WE DO NOT HAVE MECHANIC KISARAGI. HE IS USUALLY HERE TO SEE US OFF, BUT I DO NOT SEE HIM.”

“... You’re very sharp, aren’t you?”

“I’M MADE OF METAL, OF COURSE I AM SHARP. PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO MECHANIC KISARAGI? IS HE ALRIGHT?”

“He’s fine, we just… had a small fight.”

“A FIGHT? BUT YOU AREN’T ENEMIES.”

“That’s the problem… He wants me to stop flying. After the last mission, he’s been too worried.”

“YOU’RE THE BEST PILOT THEY HAVE. HOW WOULD THEY COMPLETE MISSIONS WITHOUT YOU?”

“That’s what I keep saying! It’s not like I want to fight, but I have to! Who else can protect everyone?!?”

“... WHAT DO YOU WANT DO TO?”

“I… don’t want to die, Yaki. There are still so many things I want to do with my life. It feels like all I’ve ever done is fight and kill, for as long as I can remember. Does he think I’m doing this because I like it?!? I hate this! I hate every second of it! But they can’t defend themselves! If he wants me to stop, why doesn’t he come up with a way to win this stupid war!”

“... I DON’T THINK MECHANIC KISARAGI IS SMART ENOUGH FOR THAT, BUT I’M SURE HE’S TRYING TO PROTECT YOU IN HIS OWN WAY.”

“Haaa… I know, I know that, but, sometimes I just wish he’d see it from my point of view. Anyway, sorry for talking so much. It’s about time for the mission, right?”

“YES… THOUGH YOU SHOULD TAKE A LOOK AT THE HANGAR ENTRANCE BEFORE WE LEAVE.”

Peeking from behind the doors was the mop of black hair and red, puffy eyes of Mechanic Kisaragi. Surely he should know that he couldn’t hide from us that easily… Maybe he’s just too embarrassed?

“Hey Yaki, could you hook me up to your speakers?”

“SURE, YOU’RE LIVE.”

“Shintaro! I love you! I’ll be back soon!”

As the yell echoed throughout the hangar, all of the other mechs turned to look at him, his face birhgt red. He mouthed some words, then quickly disappeared back into the hallway.

“What did he say?”

“‘BE SAFE’”

******************

***I WONDER WHAT IT’S LIKE TO DREAM***

***I’VE HEARD AYANO AND MECHANIC KISARAGI TALK ABOUT IT BEFORE***

***DREAMS THAT FRIGHTENED THEM, DREAMS OF THE FUTURE***

***BUT I’VE NEVER HAD THEM***

***IS IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME? OR HAVE I JUST NEVER HAD THE CHANCE?***

***OH, SOMEONE’S HERE***

***EXITING POWER SAVING MODE***

Mechanic Kisaragi was kneeling on the ground in front of me with a pail of red paint. He was wearing ill-fitting pilot gear instead of his usual red jumpsuit, and seemed to be engrossed in thought.

“GOOD MORNING MECHANIC KISARAGI, WHAT ARE YOU-”

“Ssshhh, Yaki! We’ve gotta be quiet,” Mechanic Kisaragi hurriedly urged me to be quiet. Well that’s a little rude, don’t you think?

“Oh, sorry. Good morning, Mechanic Kisaragi. What are you doing here? The mission doesn’t start for another 6 hours.”

“I’m trying to write a message, and then we’re heading out. There was a last minute change of plans, so it’ll just be me going.”

“I see…”

The mission relied on our best pilots drawing the enemy’s attention so that the rest of them could escape the incoming fleet. A gamble at best, focused on letting everyone else escape. Not even Ayano could pull it off herself.

“Yep, yep. Now I just need to figure out what to write…”

“What kind of message are you writing?”

“It’s uh, a message to Ayano. Y’know, like, just in case something happens. I’ve always been bad at picking what to say, but I don’t really have much time…”

“Just say ‘I love you’. She would want to hear that, even if you can’t say it to her face.”

“Ouch. You really never did learn how to sugarcoat things, did you?”

“What can I say, all I focused on was combat.”

Mechanic Kisaragi averted his eyes from mine, and began painting. It made me a little angry.

“Mechanic Kisaragi, what am I?”

“Uh, you’re an I-S model 7, designation-”

“Mechanic Kisaragi, I phrased that poorly. What am I to you?”

That caught his attention; he looked up at me once more.

“You-, you’re a robot, based off of Ayano. Designed to turn whoever pilots you into an ace, just like her.”

“Is that all?”

“I-... yes. That’s all. That’s all we have to do. If we can’t protect her, we can at least take her place, just this once.”

“I see. If we do not have much time, then let me help you write this message. Give me the paint.”

“Oh, uh, sure.”

He gingerly offered up the pail of paint next to him, and I crushed it in my hand. It almost looked like my hand was covered in blood.

“Yaki?!? What are you doing?”

“You’re a genius mechanic, Kisaragi, but you can really be an idiot sometimes.” 

“Yaki, now’s not the time to pick a fight, we’ve got to-

“Not we, I. Surely you’ve realised it too, right? I’m not the mindless robot that you wanted to build, and I don’t need your help. You’ve been looking down on both of us.”

I dragged my hand across my throat and down my chest, leaving a trail of red. It’s about time I got my scarf back.

“Y-Yaki…”

“Thank you for creating me, Mechanic Kisaragi, but I can do this on my own,” I slowly stood from the hangar ground, disconnecting the cables that were tying me down.

“Yaki- no, Ayano, don’t go! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!”

I started walking to the airlock. I wish I could smile at him.

“It’s okay, Shintaro. Tell Ayano goodbye for me. Be happy, and… I love you.”

“...! I love you too, so please, don’t-”

That were the last words I heard before the airlock vented into space. Launch complete, initiating mission procedures.

It’s time to protect everyone.

**Author's Note:**

> "Rian was the entire robot perspective just because you didn't know how to tactfully describe slow dancing?"  
> Listen here punk-


End file.
